


Built This House

by myracingthoughts



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Home Improvement, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:48:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26953129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myracingthoughts/pseuds/myracingthoughts
Summary: Neither of them would have thought they’d go for all-out country life, but somewhere between the constant threat of gunfire, the continuous rumbling of the metro, and the not-so-quiet hum of QuinJets, they’d come to appreciate the value of silence. And distance.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Wanda Maximoff
Comments: 8
Kudos: 41





	Built This House

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to @heyjennna on Tumblr for the prompt!

Wanda had chosen the house; she’d known from the sidewalk that it was the one. And somewhere between in front of the cobblestone path to intricately carved details on the wrap-around porch of the old Victorian, Bucky had fallen for it too. 

Neither of them would have thought they’d go for all-out country life, but somewhere between the constant threat of gunfire, the continuous rumbling of the metro, and the not-so-quiet hum of QuinJets, they’d come to appreciate the value of silence. And distance.

So they’d ended up in a quiet rural town, a hop, skip, and a flight to headquarters, should the need arise.

It was Bucky’s idea to restore it, which had been almost instantaneous as he looked down at the faded beige carpet below his feet. A couple tears at the edges revealed the original hardwood flooring from the late 19th century that was more familiar to him than he’d care to admit. Sure, the windows could use a refresh —and a polish— and it could use a little more insulation before winter struck, but they could call it home. 

Wanda, however, was more interested in the backyard, with the original greenhouse in its green wrought iron glory. She could already imagine rows of greens and florals, neatly labelled and carefully organized.

Those first few weeks were built on stolen moments; when one or both of them would be between missions and make the trip out to do something. The first weekend, Bucky took to refacing the entire kitchen, taking a little too much joy in the prospect of power tools. Wanda picked the paint and stain colours, and they both started to assess what else might need replacing.

“You look good like that,” Wanda commented, eyebrows raised over her sunglasses at the shirtless Barnes, sander in hand. 

He was so focused on the job that he hadn’t noticed her walk into the garage, ogling the lines and defined muscles on display and in use. How the sawdust blew around him like snow on a winter day.

“What can I say, domesticity looks good on me,” Bucky joked, a wry smile on his face as he set the sander down. “Suits you too, I think.”

Wanda could have told him as much. She never felt more relaxed than when they were at the house together. Even in ratty jeans and a t-shirt, she could see the way he looked at her head to toe, with the same need he’d had in his eyes that first night.

“You think we could bribe Sam to help out?” Wanda asked suddenly, sidling up to him and wrapping her arms around his waist. “Maybe for the floors?”

That was going to be a long job, especially since Bucky insisted on doing it the old fashioned way —though, he’d be in expert in that by default, she mused, trying to keep the smile off her face.

His eyes crinkled as he planted a kiss at the top of her head, “Bake him some peach cobbler, and he’d probably reshingle the whole roof for us too.”

She tipped her head up and kissed him properly, fingers brushing the soft hair at the nape of his neck. He pecked her on the forehead, pressing her body closer against his chest.

“Glad we did this?” she murmured into his skin.

“Mm, I think glad is an understatement, little witch,” he said a little wistful, hands finding their way into her back pocket.

The next weekend, Wanda was alone in the house, a trunk full of planters, seeds, tools and potting soil. It had been a while since they’d kept a garden —the one in Sokovia had been a tiny thing on their apartment’s windowsill— but she was looking forward to trying out her formerly green thumb. Something about keeping her hands busy soothed her, drowned out the world around her as she potted and watered, sweeping out the debris from the worn floor.

The seeds would germinate and grow in the coming weeks, slow and steady as the days grew longer. 

Sam did come help with the floors, spending back-to-back weekends eating Wanda’s baking (made in the Compound’s kitchen), beer, and whatever take-out food they could scrounge in the remote village. While Wanda was putting away the last of the equipment, Sam and Bucky sat on the creaky boards of the back porch, staring up at the reds and purples lining the sky. Only trees and hills backlit as far as the eye could see.

“It’s a gorgeous place,” Sam mused, kicking back against the back of the house. “I’m just shocked your heart wasn’t locked to a place in Brooklyn.”

“You’re just sour you lost a bet,” Bucky shot back with a smirk.

“Hey, it was twenty bucks. To Stark. That hurts, man,” Sam said with a thump to his chest, eyes twinkling in the dim light.

Bucky chuckled, “Nah, I’m not Steve. I’ve seen half the world, and this is the only thing that’s felt like home in a really long time.”

Sam looked a little softer at the admission, “Good on you.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get there,” Bucky mused, taking a swig of his beer bottle, turning around to check up on Wanda through the back door.

Sam smirked, “Maybe when I get to your age.”

“You’d be so lucky, Wilson.”

They moved in a month later, tucking Alpine into his carrier and packing their belongings. Wanda had organized most of the furniture to be shipped over that first day.

“They just don’t make things like this anymore,” Bucky said, tracing his fingertip along the details of the solid wood furniture.

Wanda was just happy Bucky had even wanted to go furniture shopping in the first place. She’d been resigned to making all the decor decisions until he asked to come. And Bucky had been a total kid in a candy store, eyes wide as they traversed antique shop after antique shop. He tried to keep his voice down when he’d say things like, “Aunt Judith used to have a hutch just like this,” but he’d inevitably catch the ear of the occasional passerby.

It was worth it for the looks alone.

He held her hand and pulled her in close, baseball hat slung down to obscure his face. But there was a comfort there that went beyond what either of them had experienced before. That little flutter in their belly when he hooked their fingers together, hand caressing the small of her back as she examined something.

So when it came to move-in day, they thought they had it all planned. They closed every door and window once the furniture was in before letting Alpine out of his crate. He sniffed and snooped around, scoping out new hiding places and explored the upper level. 

It wasn’t until dinner when Bucky set down his bowls that they both realized they hadn’t seen the white furball in hours. Bucky swept the main level while Wanda took on the second floor, hearing some distant meowing from the master bedroom closet.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Wanda cooed, scooping him up in her arms as he meowed pitifully. “The first day in a new house and we leave you trapped in a closet. Worst cat parents ever.”

Bucky chuckled, “To be fair, he got himself stuck in there. Hopefully, he’ll learn from it.” He stroked the cat between the ears and pecked Wanda on the lips before turning his gaze to the rest of the room. “We did good, huh?”

Wanda stared up at him, letting Alpine hop down to the floor with a thump. She wrapped her arms around Bucky’s waist and looked out of the bay windows.

“We finally have a place that’s ours.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading. All comments, kudos and bookmarks are loved and cherished.
> 
> This fic was a prompt. You can find my [prompts list and details here](https://pasmonblog.tumblr.com/post/635410523601649664) if you're interested in adding to my WIP list (please do).


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